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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Beautifully written with great characters but I wanted more. Still enjoyed and makes me want to return to Florence again.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
“So, time heals. Mostly. Sometimes carelessly. And in unsuspecting moments the pain catches and reminds one of all that’s been missing. The fulcrum of what might have been. But then it passes. Winter moves into spring and the swallows return.”
I really struggled to get into this book and to make head or tail of the first section. However, given that Sarah Winman has such an incredible record of wonderful novels behind her & also given that ‘When God was a Rabbit’ is one of my desert island books…I had to press on. And I’m so glad I did. What transpires is a wonderful tale of a small group of people over a lifetime. It’s one which really leaves an impression & the characters will stay with me for a long time, I’m sure.
All along I thought I’d have to ‘mark’ it down a star for the confusing (dare I say, boring) beginning but the ending was too beautiful to ignore. It left me feeling like I’d just spent a summer in Florence with the most fascinating group of people.
I really struggled to get into this book and to make head or tail of the first section. However, given that Sarah Winman has such an incredible record of wonderful novels behind her & also given that ‘When God was a Rabbit’ is one of my desert island books…I had to press on. And I’m so glad I did. What transpires is a wonderful tale of a small group of people over a lifetime. It’s one which really leaves an impression & the characters will stay with me for a long time, I’m sure.
All along I thought I’d have to ‘mark’ it down a star for the confusing (dare I say, boring) beginning but the ending was too beautiful to ignore. It left me feeling like I’d just spent a summer in Florence with the most fascinating group of people.
Bit of a jewel this!
Having started it a few years ago and left it behind far too early, I am so glad I came back to it. It was a joy...full of charm, wit, joy, tenderness, grit, sex, friendship...and parrots. The writing is fluent and jaunty, spinnig a tale spread over 35 years (more really, once the final chapter gets going), taking us from post-Allied invasion Tuscany in 1944 to Florence in 1979 via grimy post-war working class London, and introducing a rich cast of wonderful characters that will linger long in the memory. All of them are big-hearted, quirky, flawed and coping with their own struggles, but the friendship they build as they come and go from a pensione on a piazza in post-war Florence is extraordinary, and captivatingly described.
The nature of love in all its forms; the crucial role and importance of art in reflecting human experience; the place of women in historical and contemporary societies; the irreplaceable value of friendship forged in both good and adverse times: all these are explored by Sarah Winman with great skill and a huge affection for her creations. I loved it!
I read most of it but listened to some of it on Spotify, read outstandingly well by the author -an actor herself; I'd recommend that as highly as I do this truly delightful novel.
Having started it a few years ago and left it behind far too early, I am so glad I came back to it. It was a joy...full of charm, wit, joy, tenderness, grit, sex, friendship...and parrots. The writing is fluent and jaunty, spinnig a tale spread over 35 years (more really, once the final chapter gets going), taking us from post-Allied invasion Tuscany in 1944 to Florence in 1979 via grimy post-war working class London, and introducing a rich cast of wonderful characters that will linger long in the memory. All of them are big-hearted, quirky, flawed and coping with their own struggles, but the friendship they build as they come and go from a pensione on a piazza in post-war Florence is extraordinary, and captivatingly described.
The nature of love in all its forms; the crucial role and importance of art in reflecting human experience; the place of women in historical and contemporary societies; the irreplaceable value of friendship forged in both good and adverse times: all these are explored by Sarah Winman with great skill and a huge affection for her creations. I loved it!
I read most of it but listened to some of it on Spotify, read outstandingly well by the author -an actor herself; I'd recommend that as highly as I do this truly delightful novel.
DNF at page 170. I read and re read from the start and just cannot connect with this book at all. It isn’t often I give up, but collectively I’ve read 300 pages so it’s not without trying! Just not for me.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes